The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the “Pre-Prosecution Pilot” program as part of its commitment to expand access to the innovation ecosystem and support under-resourced inventors. The pre-application review program is aimed to support first-time inventors by assisting in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of potential patent applications. USPTO examiners will help first-time prospective patent applicants assess if their invention is novel in the art by providing search assistance using public patent tools, helping them to avoid common mistakes that may slow down or invalidate the patent review process. The first training under this new pilot program will be a two-day workshop on February 27 and 28, 2024, conducted virtually and limited to 20 qualifying individuals. The USPTO is accepting candidates for this pilot program until January 31, 2024. Please visit the USPTO site to learn more.